University of Maryland, Dean of Libraries

The University of Maryland has named Holly Mercer dean of University Libraries, effective July 1. As dean, Mercer will lead the most extensive university library system in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area. This encompasses seven university libraries that serve as the academic keystone supporting the university's teaching, learning and research goals.

Mercer will join UMD from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where she currently serves as senior associate dean and professor for UT Libraries. In this role, she oversees nine units within the libraries, is responsible for technology planning and collections strategy, plays a key role in budget and strategic planning, and serves as the libraries’ grants officer. Since her arrival in 2012, Mercer has held a variety of roles within UT Libraries overseeing research, collections and scholarly communications. She has also served as director of the Newfound Press, UT Libraries' digital library press.

She was recognized as an Association of Research Libraries Leadership Fellow, has served as a member of the Path to Open Community Advisory Board and ALA Association of College and Research Libraries, and served as board chair for HathiTrust. Mercer has published and presented academic papers on topics such as open access, university repositories and social networking.

Mercer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in classical studies from Duke University and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of South Carolina.

The full announcement can be found here.

Sean Farrell led this search with Robin Dougherty and Drew Chang.